The recent Supreme Court ruling has been one of the most serious and direct assaults on American democracy. Unlike the Patriot Act, which limited a fundamental freedom, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission was a direct attack on the core of democratic procedures.
In the Citizens United case, the Supreme Court’s decision would allow corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money on financing political campaigns. Donations can be anonymous. The issue of financing campaigns is already controversial. The phenomenon of Obama’s grass root fundraising was a very refreshing and optimistic one. Chicagoans do not have to be reminded about powerful party machines, whose support pretty much guarantees the electoral victory of a designated candidate. Whatever hope was brought by Obama’s campaign, it was smashed by the Supreme Court’s decision on Jan. 21.
There is a correlation between the access to financial and material resources, and the chances of playing a significant role in an electoral race on all levels, from local to federal. Obtaining the support of the party machine is one way of securing this access. Although this is not the most democratic way of running elections, there are other resources to be found. However, with their recent ruling, the Supreme Court essentially handed the choice of candidates to big corporations. With funding and backing from those big corporations, it may be interesting to see whose interests candidates will truly be representing
The state of Oregon also passed legislation in January imposing higher taxes on corporations. Many households in Oregon were decorated with signs supporting the initiative of Ballot Measures 66 and 67 limiting big business. People talked about it on the streets and buses, and in coffee shops and bars. A large amount of revenue from the tax increase will go to school districts.
That was a local victory, and the people’s reward for taking an interest and promoting the cause. However, we don’t see the same type of mobilization on the national level when the Supreme Court expands the power of big corporations, limiting private citizen’s access to democratic involvement, and causes a fundamental democratic breakdown.